Did my girl come back to say goodbye?

[GenerousGardener]

Last week we had to do the kindest thing for my old girl. She was thirteen and had been suffering with fits for a while that the vet tried to control.

We stayed with her for her last moments and both me and DH cried buckets (I still am). It’s just dreadful indoors without her.

Last night I was asleep in bed and I felt my shoulders being nudged (she did this at night to wake me up to let her out). I turned over and she was there but fuzzy and had like small shooting stars around her. I said to her ‘baby are you alright? I’m so worried about you’. Then in my head she said ‘mummy mummy I’m ok, I’m ok’ and she was gone. I sat up, I smelled my hand where d stroked her, it smelled of her.

I felt calm, laid down and went back to sleep. When I woke the smell had gone. Did I dream? Did she come back? Is my mind playing tricks on me? Grief is such a powerful emotion.

Oh god 😭, I’m crying buckets.

Lovely.

Brains are amazing.

I am open about these things but as a scientist I would say your brain is the real reason you had this encounter with your beloved pet.

I'm so sorry for your loss, it's agony whe they go. I think this is beautiful and it's lovely that it brings you comfort. I had a couple of experiences I couldn't explain with my boys before they died. Long time ago now really, but they're precious memories. Take care of yourself x

Wow this has got me in tears, sorry for your loss OP. I can’t say what it was, none of us can. If it were me I would see it as her letting you know she’s ok now which is a beautiful thing.

Don’t worry about what it was or wasn’t, you felt that for a reason and I hope it brings you comfort at this hard time.

wishing you all the best in your grief OP xx

I can’t say what that was, but once an acquaintance of mine saw my dearly departed cat walk up to me and sit on my lap. She had never met the cat but described her to me very well. I went upstairs to get a photo and she said “yes, that’s the cat I saw. She sat on you in a peculiar way ( described her half-on half-off sitting style) before getting up and heading for the door, only she dissolved before rounding the corner”. So that kind of convinced me. I was in bits after that!

This is lovely. I'm not really a believer of things like this but when I lost my beautiful girl in 2020 I went for a walk when I came back from the dog cremation place and a white feather floated right in front of me.
im glad it's brought you comfort .

Beautiful. She loved you x

I do feel comforted by her ‘visit’ whether it was real or not. She was my absolute shadow. She’s not the first dog I’ve lost but she’s definatly been the hardest. Once in your life you have one special dog. She was this.

Her soul lives on. 🥰

My mum had a similar experience when our lovely spaniel left us. Mum took it hard and then saw her in a dream or dream like state and felt she was OK and could move on. Sending you lots of love and care. ♥️

I’m so sorry for your loss OP ❤️

I believe they do come back to visit us, our lovely dog was PTS in June and afterwards we went to my MIL’s house, DH was sitting in the living room alone having a cry and the door burst opened on it’s on (our lovely boy was a staffy and loved to ram doors with his solid head) and it made DH smile. I still occasionally smell him in DC’s room where he actually wasn’t allowed but he’s there watching over the kids ☺️

I had similar with one of our cats. Woke up, blurry eyed to see my missing cat sitting next to me on my bed, with the sunlight streaming in though the curtains. Heard footsteps coming up the stairs which woke me up, exact same position, sunlight steaming in. No cat.
Knock on my bedroom door to be told by my relative that our other cat had been knocked down on the road that morning 😥

I'm so sorry for your loss ❤️

I'm not generally a believer in these things but, not the same (and not even animal related), many moons ago, when I was 12, I had a very vivid random dream that my best friend's mum died. I woke up feeling totally sick that it could happen to my mum and spent the whole weekend hugging her, appreciating her and just being grateful to have her. On the Monday morning I woke up and she'd died, totally unexpectedly.

Yes, it almost certainly was just a coincidence, but it brought me so much comfort that my mum knew just how much she meant to me in her last days.

It really doesn't matter if it's real or not... it's what you take from it that counts ❤️

@BoringAF19 These ‘happenings’ whether they can be explained or not, are definatly a comfort.

@EighteenOhFive Thats so sad. You wonder if it was a dream or real.

@CellophaneFlower Im so so sorry for your loss. To lose your mum so suddenly is just awful. She knew you loved her and you still do.

Sounds like you had a vivid dream but a lovely one 🤍

It probably was a vivid dream but it was so real. She hasn’t been back since. 😢

I'd like to believe this. My mum swears she saw our airdale after he passed. He always jumped on their bed. This time she woke up smelling him then saw him jump on the bed going upwards before disappearing.

Oh my. I don't know the 'correct' answer, if that even exists. But, my 'Maddie' (17 year old floof ball who left us 6 years ago), often visits, I can feel her behind my knees at night. Plus I've heard her purring.

I can't read your whole thread as I'm crying too much but I'm a firm believer in visits..
Crying in a graveyard at the grave of a small child who meant the world to me I felt him behind me.. He put his head on my shoulder and his arms around my neck..I couldn't see him but absolutely felt him.
It was a huge comfort..
It's been 4 years since our ddog left us but I can still remember the feeling of him 'jumping on the bed'.
I hope you find comfort in their visit...

Oof! That made me cry! What a lovely, lovely thing. Big hugs OP.

I had similar when I was a teenager and was staying away from home when my parents had to have our dog put to sleep. I dreamt I was running with him along our favourite beach, when we reached the end where there are huge sand dunes he turned and said to me "you can't come with me, I have to go on my own" and he turned and ran up to the top, looked back once then ran off. On the day I returned home, I walked into the house and heard his usual bark of greeting from the kitchen and walked towards it to go and fuss him - but my parents pulled me into the living room and explained that he had died whilst I was away.
I have always been so comforted by the dream and the bark, even 33 years later!

Oh my goodness, I am crying here. Beautiful stories of much loved and loving pets.

@SingingSands that is beautiful.

Years ago I had a mmc. When it happened I looked back at the dates. At around the time my baby stopped growing I was doing
exam supervision. Walking round thinking about being pregnant and baby names. I suddenly got an image of my lovely (deceased) grandfather holding my baby. When I found out about the mmc I strongly felt it was him saying that it was ok as he was looking after my baby boy. It gave me comfort. Never seen or felt anything similar before or after.

How lovely. Consciousness is strange thing. Perhaps you are linked in some way. 💐

All your lovely stories, they are so so comforting. I think we all need to believe that there’s definatly ‘another side’ and our loved ones try to tell us they are ok.

Its been two weeks since she’s been gone, her ashes are back home with us, but since that one and only visit, she’s not been back. I don’t mind. I know she’s ok.

Love and hugs to all of you. Xxx

I am so sorry for the loss of your lovely companion - bless you for taking that most heart-breaking decision to end her suffering. It is awful; but an act borne of the deepest love.

I'm fairly sceptical and not at all prone to fantasy. But I'd like to think it was her coming back to offer you peace and comfort.

I've had a number of dogs in my life, but "the one" for me was my Staffie, Jasper. There were many ways in which he was a dog above all others. Cancer sadly came for him and I had to make the decision in January 2012. Towards the end of 2015 I became suddenly very, very ill. I went to the GP and was rushed straight into hospital with acute kidney failure. After a few days on a drip I was not getting any better. Although I'm not especially religious, the chaplain was called, I was given a "holding cross" (a little wooden cross designed to be gripped in the hand) and a "last blessing". When I looked down the bed I absolutely swear that Jasper was lying at the end of it. He was just there, not moving, with his head lifted, blinking and looking straight at me. I could even feel the weight of him next to my foot. I knew that he was there to "walk me home" - and I felt that I had a choice; I could give up and go with him or I could fight to live on. I wanted to fight, and when I opened my eyes again he was gone. I've only ever told a few people about this IRL as I appreciate how bonkers it makes me sound.

Having said that, I had a drastic allergic reaction to something whilst I was in hospital for something else unrelated in 2020. Fortunately the doctors were still doing their ward rounds. I really did go for a moment and had to be resuscitated with adrenaline injected into my arteries and the electric shock defibrillator paddles applied. I remember being almost annoyed afterwards that I didn't see Jasper again at that point, nor my recently-deceased father. But I was very fortunate to have survived that (although I was badly bruised from the jabs and paddles, which hurt like f~~~ for ages. All I can say about the experience really is - ultimately there's nothing to be afraid of).

Sorry to have rambled on @GenerousGardener. I can't say whether she literally came back to visit. But the experience was real to you and brought you comfort. That is real. And a part of her will always live on in you.

I still miss Jasper sometimes. Although he could fart for England. Didn't dare light a candle some nights - the whole street would've gone up.

Every good wish to you. xx 💐💐